Fire-arm



INVENTEIR.

W. H. DAVENPORT.

FIRE ARM.

Patented June 23, 1885.

(No Model.)

l S Q S m WITNESSES.

'1 ve'sziently carried in traveling. In order to UNITED STATES PATENT OFICE.

\VILLIAM H. DAVENPORT, OF UXBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

FIRE-ARM.

I IBPECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 320,637, dated June23, 1885.

Application filed February .26, 19 55. (No model.)

I all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM H. DA ENr roar, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Uxbridge, in the county of Worcester and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRifles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,

a reference being bad to the accompanying drawinz's, and to letters orfigures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

My present invention relates more particularly to rifles or fire-arms inwhich the barrel isremovably mounted; and it consists, essentially, inthe novel construction of the barrelret-aining device, wherebythe barreland the breech-frame are adapted to be readily secured together, aswellzas disconnected, by

I means of a removable screw-threaded pin having a short arm securedthereto exteriorly of th breech-frame.

f.'ne object of the invention isto so form the apart for the purpose ofinspection and cleanas well as in adapting it to be more conproducethese results, the rear or breech end i of the barrel is turned down aninch or so in length, the extreme end of the turned portion being thesmallest, thus forming a slight taper or plug shape. The upper portionof the breech-frame is drilled and taper-reamed to receive the saidtaper-turned portion of the barrel. After the barrel and frame have beenit thus fitted together, a hole is then drilledtransversely through saidparts, cutting the lower side of i the barrel, said hole being partiallyscrew-threaded. Within this hole is fitted in turn the screw-threadedpin, the latter being screwed up firmly to its seat by means of itsintegrally-formed lever, thus serving as a key to retain the parts inproper working relations.

Heretoforc, so far as I am aware, in this class of rides or firearms therear end of the barrel has been inade cylindrical, while the retainingkey or pin has been provided witha head having polygonal sides or with ascrewdriver head. It is evident that this form of construction involvesthe use of a wrench or screw-driver, (as the case may be,) which must becarried on the person, such implements also being more or less subjectto loss, 820. These disadvantages are overcome by means of theimprovements illustrated and claimed herewith, in which- Figure 1represents a partial side view in 6 elevation of a rifle embodying myimprovements. Fig. 2 is a detached view of the rear end of the barrel inpartial section: Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through line wasof Fig. 1, showing the parts in position as in use; and Fig. 4.represents the front end view of the retaining-pin, showing the shortarm or lever formed thereon for operating the same.

The following is a more detailed description of the invention, includingthe manner of its operation:

A, referring now again to the drawings, designates the rear portion of arifle, consisting of the barrel B, breech-frame a, stock 8, andforewoodf, said frame a being provided with a sliding breech-blockadapted to be operated by the swingingguide g, as common.

h and trepresent, respectively, the hammer and sear, also as usuallyconstructed and connected.

The end portion, B, of said barrel B is made slightly conical (see b)and terminating in the shoulder m, as shown in Fig. 2.

b indicates the counter-bored portion of the barrel for receiving thecartridge-shell.

The upper portion, c of the forward end of the breech-frame a isprovided with the slightly-conical shaped seat a, the same being thecounterpart of the barrel portion b just described.

C designates the steel retaining or locking pin, consisting of the stemportion a, slightly tapering, ending in the screw-threaded part c", theright or opposite'end of the pin having the lever or arm d secured orformed thereon for the purpose of affording means for readily andrapidly screwing the pin into or out of the frame a, as desired, theframe being drilled and tapped for the reception of said pin at a pointabout midway of the frame portion a, and below the center of the barrel,in fact practically cutting a semicircular groove across the lower sideof the plug portion B, as fully shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

The operation of removing the barrel from the frame for the purpose ofpacking the ride into a smaller compass, &c., may be substitutiallydescribed as follows: The lever d of the pin 0, projecting from theright side of the frame a, is first grasped by the fingers of -theoperator and turned in the arrow direction, (see Fig. 1,) which causesthe said pin to become unscrewed from the frame, and permitting thebarrel, with its attached fore-wood f, to be removed from the socket a,the taper or plug-shape form of the parts readily efleeting suchremoval.

As the breech-block and its operating mechanism are both common to thisclass of firearms, I do not deem a description of them essential to thisspecification.

It is obvious that the lever or handle portion d of the pin may beformed separately and secured to the pin, in lieu of its being madeintegrally therewith, without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

I am of course aware that the rear end of the barrel has beenstraight-turned or cylindrical, and fitted into a corresponding socketof the frame a, prior to this present invention,

' the same also being, in combination with an ordinary machine screw orbolt, adapted to serve as a key for retaining the barrel in position.Therefore I do not claim such construction broadly; but

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is

1. In a rifle, the breech-frame provided with a socket, and having abreech-block and hammer, and suitable operating mechanism therefor, incombination with the barrel fittedto said socket, and the locking-pinpassing transversely through both the frame and barrel, whereby saidbarrel is removably mounted and secured in position, as set forth.

2. In a rifle, the combination, with the breech-frame a, having thebarrel B taper-fitted therein, and suitable locking and firing means, ofthe locking-pin 0, consisting of the partially screw threaded stemhaving the short arm or lever d secured thereto, all constructed,arranged, and adapted for operation substantially as shown, and for thepurpose set forth.

3. The improvement in rifles which consists in the combination, with therecessed breech-frame and the barrel fitted thereto, of a locking-pinpassing transversely through the recessed portion of said breech-frameand the under side of the barrel, said pin being screw-threaded andhaving a lever-shaped head, substantially as shown, and for the purposehereinbefore set forth.

4. In a rifle provided with suitable breechlocking and firing mechanism.the removablymounted barrel B, having its rear end, B, taper-turned andfitted within the frame a, in combination with the lever-headed lockingpin or key 0, having a slightly-tapering stem, 0, provided with thescrew-thread said pin extending transversely through the frame a and theunder side of the barrel, the lever d of said pin being exteriorly ofthe frame, all I constructed, arranged, and adapted for operationsubstantially as shown, and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

WILLIAM H. DAVENPORT.

Vitnesses:

ARNOLD S. ALLEN, p i J. WALTER DAY.

